 "\"We gave the real life 'Dabanggs' a chance to celebrate adventure\"")
What has been the most interesting sales promotion you have engineered so far?
The Thums Up 'Being Dabangg' promotion has been one of the most exciting and engaging promotions on Thums Up. It marked the comeback of the original 'thunder' star Salman Khan as the Thums Up brand ambassador, armed with a new code for the masses - 'Being Dabangg'.
The promotion was a call to all consumers who had the attitude, the passion, the fire and zeal to live life on their own terms. The initiative gave Thums Up fans across the country an opportunity to win special Thums Up 'Being Dabangg' merchandise like t-shirts, sunglasses and wrist watches with the grand bumper prize being the opportunity to meet their inspiration Salman Khan.
Who was the primary target for the promotion?
The promotion was open to everyone who saw themselves as 'Dabanggs'. The promotion was aimed at people live life on their own terms: attributes which allowed them to strongly connect with Thums Up. Finally, the initiative gave the real life 'Dabanggs' across the country a chance to celebrate the spirit of adventure with Khan. The core participation target was: 19-49 years whereas the communication target was males in the age group of 18-29 years.
Why was the promo designed in such a manner?
This promo was launched at a time when we had announced Salman Khan as the face of Thums Up. We chose Salman as he was a perfect fit for the brand as his appeal cut across all age groups and socio-economic strata, just like Thums Up.
Backed by this insight, we launched the Thums Up 'Being Dabangg' promo with the main objective to announce the return of Salman Khan on Thums Up and also introduce a new code for the masses. This new code challenged consumers to embrace life and challenged the status quo, motivating them to win every moment.
This idea was brought to life through a consumer promotion, where 60 lucky winners could meet Salman Khan and also win some exclusive 'Thums Up Being Dabangg' merchandise. The promo created a perfect union of brand Thums Up's attitude and Salman Khan's Dabangg personality. It served as a seamless binder between the real stars of the country and their inspiration: Salman Khan.
Can you elaborate on the media plan?
We devised the media plan keeping in mind the mass appeal of Thums Up and Khan its newly appointed brand ambassador. The campaign was launched through five-second teasers (December 16 - 19, 2012) across key television channels and on the digital network.
The teasers were followed by a national media plan encompassing various consumer connection points, including television, radio, print, OOH and digital.
To amplify the reach in digital, we utilised the Facebook and Twitter pages of Salman Khan.
In addition to Hindi-speaking markets, television and radio, the plan was launched on six regional television and radio channels: Telugu, Kannada, Marathi, Gujarati, Bengali and Oriya. The campaign was launched during the Indo-Pak cricket series. The plan was also layered with a strong Doordarshan plan for our north rural consumers.
What were the challenges?
The key attribute for such promotions to succeed is for them to be rooted in the brand philosophy. Also the gratification should be a prize that consumers identify with and one that they aspire to have or experience. Keeping these insights in mind, we ensured that the Thums Up 'Being Dabangg' promo was something that strongly reflected the philosophy of brand Thums Up and was something the consumers could connect with. Today's marketing is about ensuring that consumers engage with the brand in a like-minded environment.
What was the impact of this scheme on the sales and the brand?
It increased the consumer preference scores for the brand. We witnessed a jump in the national sales of Thums Up PET packs by over 25 per cent during the period of the promotion. The promo also played a significant role in consolidating the position of Thums Up as the country's number one cola drink.
Will such schemes work in the future?
As marketers, it is our responsibility to find new, interesting and unique ways to engage with the consumers. As a result of over exposure and excessive content available across different media platforms, consumers today have multiple options. While the Thums Up 'Being Dabangg' consumer promotion worked very well for us, we will always customise a new activation as per the target audience and the media platforms available.
Don't sales promotions harm a company/brand in the long term?
At the core, any brand promotion must add to the persona of the brand. As long as the promotion is rooted to the DNA of the brand, it will always make the brand relevant to the consumer.
The Thums Up 'Being Dabangg' promotion has been one of the most exciting and engaging promotions on Thums Up. It marked the comeback of the original 'thunder' star Salman Khan as the Thums Up brand ambassador, armed with a new code for the masses - 'Being Dabangg'.
The promotion was a call to all consumers who had the attitude, the passion, the fire and zeal to live life on their own terms. The initiative gave Thums Up fans across the country an opportunity to win special Thums Up 'Being Dabangg' merchandise like t-shirts, sunglasses and wrist watches with the grand bumper prize being the opportunity to meet their inspiration Salman Khan.
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The promotion also leveraged the growing popularity of digital media and the internet to connect and engage with a wider consumer base through mobile and SMS.
Who was the primary target for the promotion?
The promotion was open to everyone who saw themselves as 'Dabanggs'. The promotion was aimed at people live life on their own terms: attributes which allowed them to strongly connect with Thums Up. Finally, the initiative gave the real life 'Dabanggs' across the country a chance to celebrate the spirit of adventure with Khan. The core participation target was: 19-49 years whereas the communication target was males in the age group of 18-29 years.
Why was the promo designed in such a manner?
This promo was launched at a time when we had announced Salman Khan as the face of Thums Up. We chose Salman as he was a perfect fit for the brand as his appeal cut across all age groups and socio-economic strata, just like Thums Up.
Backed by this insight, we launched the Thums Up 'Being Dabangg' promo with the main objective to announce the return of Salman Khan on Thums Up and also introduce a new code for the masses. This new code challenged consumers to embrace life and challenged the status quo, motivating them to win every moment.
This idea was brought to life through a consumer promotion, where 60 lucky winners could meet Salman Khan and also win some exclusive 'Thums Up Being Dabangg' merchandise. The promo created a perfect union of brand Thums Up's attitude and Salman Khan's Dabangg personality. It served as a seamless binder between the real stars of the country and their inspiration: Salman Khan.
Can you elaborate on the media plan?
We devised the media plan keeping in mind the mass appeal of Thums Up and Khan its newly appointed brand ambassador. The campaign was launched through five-second teasers (December 16 - 19, 2012) across key television channels and on the digital network.
The teasers were followed by a national media plan encompassing various consumer connection points, including television, radio, print, OOH and digital.
To amplify the reach in digital, we utilised the Facebook and Twitter pages of Salman Khan.
In addition to Hindi-speaking markets, television and radio, the plan was launched on six regional television and radio channels: Telugu, Kannada, Marathi, Gujarati, Bengali and Oriya. The campaign was launched during the Indo-Pak cricket series. The plan was also layered with a strong Doordarshan plan for our north rural consumers.
What were the challenges?
The key attribute for such promotions to succeed is for them to be rooted in the brand philosophy. Also the gratification should be a prize that consumers identify with and one that they aspire to have or experience. Keeping these insights in mind, we ensured that the Thums Up 'Being Dabangg' promo was something that strongly reflected the philosophy of brand Thums Up and was something the consumers could connect with. Today's marketing is about ensuring that consumers engage with the brand in a like-minded environment.
What was the impact of this scheme on the sales and the brand?
It increased the consumer preference scores for the brand. We witnessed a jump in the national sales of Thums Up PET packs by over 25 per cent during the period of the promotion. The promo also played a significant role in consolidating the position of Thums Up as the country's number one cola drink.
Will such schemes work in the future?
As marketers, it is our responsibility to find new, interesting and unique ways to engage with the consumers. As a result of over exposure and excessive content available across different media platforms, consumers today have multiple options. While the Thums Up 'Being Dabangg' consumer promotion worked very well for us, we will always customise a new activation as per the target audience and the media platforms available.
Don't sales promotions harm a company/brand in the long term?
At the core, any brand promotion must add to the persona of the brand. As long as the promotion is rooted to the DNA of the brand, it will always make the brand relevant to the consumer.